Scoop

Last week, I wrote to the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition. As we move into the next state election, I anticipate that issues like voluntary assisted dying, a potential bid to host the Olympics, infrastructure to support ongoing growth in metropolitan areas, and jobs will dominate discussions. Rightly so, because these are important matters and the Queensland public ...

It’s been a challenging weekend for us in South East Queensland. Bushfires of an intensity that were traditionally only experienced south of the border have loomed over our towns and burnt out one of our iconic areas. A place of heart-restoring memories is ruined. And the weather forecasters say we’re looking at a dry, hot summer. UnitingCare has already deployed ...

Some of you may know about my new pastime, mosaicing.   It is a place where I can zone out, reflect and discern. My latest piece is based on well-known story from the Bible. It’s a copy of a fifth century mosaic in a church in Tabgha in northern Israel.   In the story of the loaves and fishes, the disciples were ...

As part of Queensland Multicultural Month, Levon Kardashian, Multicultural Project Officer for the South Moreton Presbytery reflects on the heart’s calling, and his faith journey. A community or a congregation is formed through relationships. Discerning the direction God is calling a congregation to go, who they are or what they want to become are some of the questions people seek ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.   Bibles remain unscathed in growing China-US trade war Christianity Today covers reports that Bibles manufactured in China and imported into the United States of America will be exempt from tariffs which form part of ongoing trade tensions between the two global powerhouses. Next month sees a 10 per cent tariff placed ...

What’s coming up Season of Creation – September This month of reflection and action has been prioritised by the Queensland Synod as a key social responsibility event. All congregations and communities are invited to participate through prayer, action and advocacy. The Synod of Victoria/Tasmania has an excellent series of resources for The Season of Creation, which runs from 1 September ...

August in Queensland is multicultural month, where we celebrate being a multicultural society. Any cursory reading of the New Testament shows the multicultural milieu in which Jesus lived and ministered and in which the early church grew and matured. It’s a wonderful lens to see the revelation of the gospel and the life of the church. Think about the models ...

What’s coming up Calling all people of the Uniting Church and friends! Assembly calls us all to participate in the Climate Strike on 20 September. Why? “Climate change is the singe greatest threat to livelihoods, security and well-being of peoples across the world. The people of rural Australia, the island nations in the Pacific and the world’s poorest are being ...

Angels are ingrained in western culture from the cherubic depictions seen in many classic paintings to the modern conception of protective guardians hovering around us that crop up in contemporary literature and movies. Nick Mattiske reviews Peter Stanford’s book on the topic, Angels: A Visible and Invisible History, and considers their origins in religion and their development over time. French ...

Watching the news or political commentary on television often leaves me shaking my head.   There’s a lot of tension and conflict in our public dialogue; people set up—and quite happy to be so—in opposing corners to fight it out over an issue on the pretext that we are being informed. It reminds me more of Jimmy Sharman’s boxing tent than ...